A writer reflects on the growing phenomenon of “quiet quitting”, and how it can help—or harm—our lives as Christians.
By Shawn Quah
When I was younger, I wanted to make money fast. I never minded working late hours or over the weekend. I even changed jobs a few times just for a bump in salary. All this for the sake of my dream life: owning my own home and driving the car I’d always wanted.
But as I grew older, it began to dawn on me that I was burning out. The most telling sign was an occasion one Monday morning in the office, when I opened my laptop and stared at the blank screen for 10 minutes. I couldn’t even get myself to turn it on. What am I doing with my life? I asked myself.
This led me to leave the industry I had worked in for nearly 10 years. I finally settled into a job that allowed me to spend more time with God and with my family than on profit and career advancement. Naturally, such work-life balance came at a cost: my salary was reduced by more than half.
Reading about the growing trend of “quiet quitting” today reminds me of my own journey. In fact, I believe quiet quitting is nothing new. It has been around for some time in one form or another.
A Reasonable Response . . . Or Not?
Quiet quitting, as we know, doesn’t mean giving up the job we are doing. It’s more about doing just what is required at work—and nothing more.
At its root, quiet quitting is a rejection of “hustle culture”, which encourages work beyond regular hours.
Quiet quitting, as we know, doesn’t mean giving up the job we are doing. It’s more about doing just what is required at work—and nothing more.
At its root, quiet quitting is a rejection of “hustle culture”, which encourages work beyond regular hours.
I can certainly identify with the rationale for quiet quitting: many workers are tired of being overworked and seek better work-life balance. They no longer want to feel pressured into giving all their time and energy to their bosses.
I myself didn’t quiet quit; I actually quit for the sake of better work-life balance. Nonetheless, my motivation was the same—I wanted to reject the idea of working beyond what was needed, and instead put time into what I felt was really important in life.
That being said, too much of a good thing isn’t necessarily good, and the same can be said for quiet quitting. The English preacher Charles Spurgeon once said of the man described in Proverbs 24:30–32:
He did not trouble himself about other men’s concerns, for he did not even attend to his own—it required too much exertion. He was not grossly vicious; he had not energy enough to care for that. He was one who liked to take things easily. He always let well alone, and for the matter of that, he let ill alone too, as the nettles and the thistles in his garden plainly proved. What was the use of disturbing himself? It would be all the same a hundred years hence, and so he took things just as they came.
He did not trouble himself about other men’s concerns, for he did not even attend to his own—it required too much exertion. He was not grossly vicious; he had not energy enough to care for that. He was one who liked to take things easily. He always let well alone, and for the matter of that, he let ill alone too, as the nettles and the thistles in his garden plainly proved. What was the use of disturbing himself? It would be all the same a hundred years hence, and so he took things just as they came.
Spurgeon’s words remind me that while quiet quitting is understandable, it should not be taken to an extreme. And it should not come to define who we are, for it can seep into other parts of our life in ways we may not intend.
It’s easy to define what is “required” at work: our terms of employment or work contract tells us clearly what we need to do to earn our pay, and can help us prevent our desire to balance work and life from spiralling into laziness or a temptation to slack.
But in other areas of life, such as the way we serve in church, or the way we treat family and friends, there are no similar clear terms.
It’s easy to define what is “required” at work: our terms of employment or work contract tells us clearly what we need to do to earn our pay, and can help us prevent our desire to balance work and life from spiralling into laziness or a temptation to slack.
But in other areas of life, such as the way we serve in church, or the way we treat family and friends, there are no similar clear terms.
If we start to apply an attitude of quiet quitting to everything we do, we may find ourselves pandering to our own selfish wants and moving the goalposts on what is “required” at the slightest whim.
Or we may choose to do the absolute minimum necessary just to stay out of trouble, without a care for others.
In the worst case, we may turn into the man Spurgeon described: not willing to do anything for anyone beyond what we feel like doing at a given moment.
Quiet quitting, if carried out the wrong way, can cause harm.
A New Perspective
Perhaps quiet quitting is best seen not as an end goal, but as a means by which we can start to renew the way we think about life.
To be sure, one basis of quiet quitting is a positive one—that work isn’t our identity. As believers in Christ, our identity is rooted in Christ. Work therefore shouldn’t be our idol. The motivation behind quiet quitting—the desire not to let work overwhelm our lives—can be helpful if it helps us to re-align our priorities.
But it cannot end there. Just as work shouldn’t be our idol, neither should we idolise “ourselves” or “our free time”. The extra time that we gain from achieving a better balance between life and work is not just to be used for serving ourselves.
We can consider how we can better use this time for God’s glory as we learn to place Him first in our lives.
For me, I felt prompted to spend more time serving God’s people. While recovering from burnout, I decided to help out at my church’s chaplaincy service for primary school pupils. I got to interact with many children, as well as the pastoral staff who brought God’s Word to them.
The volunteering stint not only gave me a fresh perspective on my role in the body of Christ, but also gave me so much fulfilment that I continued making time for young people even after settling in my new job. Today, I’m still journeying with a young adult from church.
Quiet quitting can be a starting point for us to temper the way we view work. But it cannot be the basis on which we permanently pattern our lives. Instead, Paul teaches us how we ought to live life as Christians:
I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. (Romans 12:1–2)
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. (Colossians 3:23–24)
I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. (Romans 12:1–2)
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. (Colossians 3:23–24)
I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. (Romans 12:1–2)
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. (Colossians 3:23–24)
With God’s power working in our lives, we will find joy in doing more than what is required to serve Him and His people.
This is, therefore, something I pray each day at work—to keep looking to Him, instead of myself and my needs:
God, bless our work.
Help us to work for You in faith.
Renew in us Your Holy Spirit,
that we may be joyful and diligent;
through Christ our Lord.
Shawn is a laid-back, friendly person who loves online gaming and the opportunity it brings in meeting new people across the world. He loves eating and though his favourite food is a well-kept secret, we have it on good authority that it’s either hor fun or char kway teow. He enjoys writing poetry in his free time and hopes that the Lord will continue to inspire him each and every day. Despite the fleeting and uncertain nature of life, his fondest wish is to continue living it in service to the family he has come to love dearly—God’s family.
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